Derek Fisher Figures In Car Crash, Arrested On Suspicion Of DUI

Derek Fisher, the controversial former Laker player and Knicks coach, is back in the headlines after he was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) following a car crash on the 101 Freeway early Sunday morning. Fisher was with his girlfriend and former Basketball Wives LA reality star, Gloria Govan, when their vehicle overturned.

According to the Los Angeles Daily News, Fisher, 42, was driving westbound in the number four lane on the 101 Freeway along the Sherman Oaks area and was approaching the 405 Freeway interchange when the accident occurred just past 3 in the morning. His 2015 Cadillac SUV swerved right and headed onto the cemented right shoulder before it hit the elevated concrete curb and the guardrail. The car crash left them overturned and occupying two lanes of the highway.

Fisher and the 32-year-old Govan, the lone passenger, were both helped out of the overturned car. Fortunately, the couple alighted from the car crash unscathed.

Officers of the California Highway patrol investigating the car crash found out that Fisher had been drinking. The CHP conducted a DUI evaluation on Fisher who was later taken into custody on suspicion of DUI without incident.

Fisher figured in a feud with former Lakers teammate Matt Barnes, 37, Govan’s ex-husband and father of their twin sons. In 2015, Barnes, who was then playing for the Memphis Grizzlies, supposedly attacked Fisher while the latter was at Govan’s home. Barnes allegedly drove 95 miles from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles to confront Fisher who, at the time, was already dating his estranged wife for a few months.

Fisher played 18 years in the NBA, spending most of his career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He and Barnes became friends when they played together for the Lakers franchise for two years from 2010 to 2012. Fisher retired in 2014 after helping the Lakers to five NBA championships while playing alongside NBA greats Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. Fisher finished his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder after spending time with the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, and the Dallas Mavericks.

During his playing days, Fisher also served as the player representative and later president of the National Basketball Players Association or NBPA. His turn as the president of the players union was also a controversial one. He and NBPA executive director Billy Hunter were at odds, with both officers orchestrating each other’s resignation and ousting. Hunter was eventually voted out of the board while Fisher was re-elected as president and finished his term in 2013.

After his retirement, Fisher was hired by his former coach and current Knicks president of basketball operations Phil Jackson to help turn the New York franchise around. Fisher got the nod mainly due to his experience with the Triangle offense, a strategy popularized by Jackson.

Fisher’s first season as the Knicks head coach was a disappointment despite the presence of superstar Carmelo Anthony. The team finished with a 17-65 win-loss record, the worst in franchise history. The following season, the Knicks drafted phenomenal big man Kristaps Porzingis and the team drastically improved. But after going 22-22, the Knicks only scored a win in their next 10 games resulting in Fisher’s firing. He was given the pink slip after a 40-96 overall coaching record.

Early this year, Fisher was robbed of his five NBA championship rings. He was the victim of a home invasion after perpetrators managed to enter his Los Angeles residence through a side door. The thieves got away with $300,000 worth of jewelries including the said NBA mementos.